Scuba diving clubs exist primarily to promote the recreation and sport of scuba diving and are important sources of diving information and tips. Scuba clubs also organize trips to dive sites most members have never been to and they always give their members a heads up about important diving events.
Scuba diving clubs are also a great way to meet fellow divers not just locally, but also from around the world. Joining a scuba diving club also means you’ll have to be ready for some diving trips, both locally and overseas. It’s not uncommon for dive clubs to pack its members and fly to Mexico or Fiji for a diving trip.
Joining a scuba diving club is a fun way to learn more about this sport, since most clubs offer trainings and certifications. A lot of scuba diving clubs accept members regardless of experience, so whether you’re a newbie, a recreational diver or certified, you’ll be welcome to join.
Membership dues
Dive club membership fees vary. Some can go for as low as $25 per person annually to as high as $400, while some don’t charge a fee at all.
What you’ll get as a member
If you sign in as a dive club member online, you’ll receive diving club news, tips, contest announcements and group e-mails on a regular basis. You’ll also be eligible to join online and offline contests and have access to the club’s message group.
Another great thing about joining a dive club is that you’ll expand your number of diver friends and you get to socialize with likeminded people. Dive clubs hold regular meetings and most of these include diving trips, which isn’t all that bad. Some clubs, like h2ohms – High Voltage Divers (www.h2ohms dot com) in L.A., never have meetings, only diving trips.
If your main reason in taking up scuba diving is to take pictures, you might be interested to join the L.A. Underwater Photographic Society (http://LAUPS.org) or the Empire Scuba Dive (www.empirescubadive dot com) and the San Diego Underwater Photographic Society (www.sdups dot com).
Eco-awareness and charity are also big issues with many dive clubs. Some of them conduct several diving events every year to raise funds for non-profit and charitable organizations and to raise awareness on the environment.
For a comprehensive list of scuba diving clubs in the U.S., go to www.scubayellowpages dot com, which lists clubs by state. For information and reviews about scuba diving clubs in your locality, log on to www.scubalinx dot com and check out their Scuba Poll which evaluates divers, clubs and schools and ranks them according to ratings based on professionalism, service, safety, dive sites and eco-awareness.